Last week, a girl named Amelia set out on a mission to uncover a mystery she happened upon while sifting through old belongings of her grandfather’s – Carlos Moreau. With the hope of creating a documentary about his life, about the stories he’d tell her as a child, she discovered a series of photos and writings of his, from back in the day; from the 50′s and 60′s to be more precise.

One of her big discoveries was information about a short story he named “Orbit’s Story” (which he later sold to Walt Disney, and to which he never returned). With this in mind, Amelia set up a blog site at storyorbit.com where she continues to share her discoveries, and also began the @storyorbit twitter account for a little more personal touch with her followers.

Further discoveries include photos taken in and around the “It’s a small world” [IASW] ride at the World’s Fair. The picture Amelia shared of the stack of photos included a couple of hand-written notes, also implying a secret “special project”.

One of the notes also included the phone number (607) 218-5820, that of a company named Lott Family Construction. Calling the number prompts an automated voicemail message from a rather non-technical individual, directing callers to the company’s website: LottFamilyConstruction.com.

This appears to be the company under which construction of the IASW exhibit was commissioned. Further research reveals that the name of its founder, Michael T Lott, does actually appear on a window on Main Street USA in the Magic Kingdom! Walt Disney and his crew had created fictional companies to purchase land in Florida, and Lott Family Construction may well be one of those companies (in case you haven’t got it yet – read, “M T Lott”)

However, it also seems that not only is it Michael who records the voicemail message, but you are able to contact the company – and Michael – through email. Is Michael Lott real and alive?

Something is fishy about this “special project”, and its connection to It’s a small world, and the Four Winds sculpture which greets people at the exhibit’s entrance.

The Lott Construction website’s client list includes a number of interesting projects, such Mystery Manor and Deluca Fields listed under Special Projects, which follows Cultural Landmarks including Progressland and “it’s a small world”.

Email responses from Michael Lott include a small disclaimer in the footer about privacy and security, but also instructions for clients about about how to access information about their ongoing projects – found on their website by simply appending the project code to the web address. Does this mean there are ‘secret’ projects we can explore on Lott’s website?

Next, Amelia shared a photo of another letter, this one dated June 23, 1952 – Disney’s first contact with Carlos, interested in his Orbit’s Story – over 10 years prior to Carlos’ invitation to the World’s Fair.

What exactly did Disney do with this mysterious short story of Carlos’?

Amelia continues to research her grandfather’s old possessions, looking for more hidden, secret information, and you can follow her progress at storyorbit.com and @storyorbit.

META

Interestingly, speculation arose from Amelia’s followers regarding suspicious similarities in the discoveries so far… The letter from Walt Disney Productions to Carlos was dated 1952 – which happens to be the working title for Disney’s upcoming 2014 Damon Lindelof film Tomorrowland, taking place in 1964.

Back in January, in an eerily similar set of events, following a tweet by Damon Lindelof teasing a photo of a box only labeled “1952″, director Brad Bird tweeted a picture of the box opened, which revealed a whole mess of really cool old…stuff.

[tweet https://twitter.com/BradBirdA113/status/294241097444634625]

Could this be a new big ARG for Disney’s sci-fi flick Tomorrowland? All signs and theories point to Yes!

The official (meta) website for this campaign called “The Optimist” describes it:

Walter Elias Disney was an optimist who believed in creating a living blueprint for the future. He and his Imagineers – those creative and skilled professional wizards who combine imagination and engineering – made fantasy into reality and built the magic of the Disney Theme Parks. But, what if that was just the beginning?

Amelia, a young filmmaker, has stumbled upon a revolutionary secret…and she needs your help. Collaborate with other curious individuals around the globe to solve a mystery that traverses the web, Disneyland® Park, and beyond before culminating at the D23 Expo.

The D23 Expo takes place in Anaheim, California August 9-11, 2013, which makes this a 6 week experience. The film isn’t slated for release for over a year. So, what will await the community at the end of this journey?

We hear that the collaborators are planning an elaborate, very J.J. Abrams–like advanced marketing campaign that will start before filming even begins. The idea is to stage a treasure hunt for intrigued moviegoers that will gradually reveal clues about and build intrigue for the film right up until its release, and which may or may not be related to the contents of the box.

It’s wonderful how much curious fans have already researched and discovered about the real history of Disney! There are some fascinating little-known facts being uncovered. Be sure to follow along with the community:

Today, Wikibruce received a package via UPS. Its avian contents were simple. A photo of a barn swallow with a hand-written message on the back, a Sony IC Recorder.

The message on the reverse reads:

Greetings from Innsbruck, Geoff.

Spied this fellow building his nest unusually high in a tree. I believe that means the snow will be better here this year. Including a recording of his lovely little song for your enjoyment. Do with it what you will.

Cheers, J

On powering up the recorder, the display shows one audio clip. It’s named “50-112-251-215″, with a song title “barn swallow” by author “Jonathon Jongsma”.

My package, which I noticed was numbered as #8, is only one of few delivered to various sources. ARGN.com also received a package today, reporting on its contents, and discussion has begun at the Unfiction forums.

Puzzling clues…

The four numbers resolve to an IP address, 50.112.251.215. When visiting the IP address as a website, “a top secret” website is revealed for the Royal Secret Intelligence Service. It contains a prompt to analyze audio from your microphone as an aural password verification step.

Putting two and two together, when playing the sound barn swallow audio clip, the user is verified and…

…the adventure begins! Try it yourself, then see where it takes you.

Edited to add this tip: Thanks to ARGN, you can play this audio clip via Youtube after enabling the aural capture. If your speakers are loud enough, the sound should be successfully recognized.

Also of note, viewing the website’s source code reveals a few bits of information hidden as meta data. This text also strangely includes multiple instances of the unicode character 9608:

“For ██ ██ eyes only. If you are not ██ ██ please delete immediately. This ████ provides access to the ██ ██ selection exam which identifies recruits for ████ and ██ ██ in the field. Do not share this link.”

And a strange sequence of the 9608 character:

“██ ████ █ ███ █ ██”

With the next Bond flick Skyfall releasing in theatres on November 9th, could this interactive adventure be the lead-in to a larger ARG-like campaign? Or is this is a one-stop entertainment production?

If you’ve run through the experience, successfully or not, share your experience in the comments below! Or join in the conversation at Unfiction.

TRON: Legacy is now in its box office infancy, and still pushing forward. Its promotional ARG “Flynn Lives” has effectively come to a close with players receiving in the mail a special delivery from Zack consisting of a very appropriate collectible pin bearing the phrase: “FLYNN LIVES”. A subdued, yet meaningful ending to the campaign within which many of us spent the last two years immersed.

Wikibruce was along for the ride, hosting and providing an informational resource and guide wiki – for the community, and by the community. As a thanks for your collaborative maintenance, and because the community is simply an awesome group, I was able to put together this raffle to distribute a few of the remaining items I have to give away – but not without a bit of a verification to ensure the recipients were fans who would treat these items with the love and respect they deserve!

Below you’ll find the answers to the (supposedly simple) trivia questions posted each day last week (except the 3rd day when plans were sabotaged by some sort of…rogue process, or something).

Below the answers, you’ll find the list of winners, and a collage of some of those daring enough to be TRONitized on opening weekend in a strive to earn entries for the final raffle items.

For this draw, fans were required to photograph their trip to see Tron: Legacy during opening weekend, earning entries into the final draw by how TRONified they were with those around them. The winners have been selected and will be asked sequentially if they want a blue poster or the No Bit. Once the No Bit is claimed, the rest will receive the blue poster.

Raffle Winners

If you’re on the list below (first names or aliases provided with your entries), you will be contacted by the email address you supplied. If I don’t get a response in a timely manner, or you wish to pass your win, the next name drawn in line will be contacted.

If you are a raffle winner…

Congratulations!

If your name is listed above, I’ll be contacting your for a mailing address. If you’ve had a change of heart, or you’ve perhaps come into possession of the item you just won since you entered, you’re more than welcome to pass up your item to the next name in line to be drawn.

And finally…

Thank you for your support of Wikibruce.com, the Tron/Flynn Lives wiki, and other ARG wikis. You are what make the community an amazing place to hang out in! (dangling participle’d!)

TRON week becomes TRON weekend! Day 5 is here, along with the Tron: Legacy opening weekend. To finish off the week of raffling Tron and Flynn Lives paraphernalia, the final challenge will be more..challenging.

As noted on Day 4, entries for these items will be accepted through Monday evening. The challenge: Take a photo when you go to see Tron: Legacy this weekend, but make sure you capture in it as much TRON-related content and as many people as you can muster! The more you get in the photo, the more entries you earn for the draw!

Day 5/Weekend photo challenge/raffle instructions

Here’s what you need to do to have a chance to win one of the items up for raffle…

See TRON: LEGACY over the weekend (up to and including Sunday night screenings).

Earn entries into the raffle by submitting ONE photo (and not a collage) as evidence. The photo must contain something as visual proof of being at the theater for the this film (ticket stub, something Tron-branded, etc). You can submit as many photos as you like, but only the most recent will be considered for the draw.

You can earn multiple entries into the raffle by qualifying for any of the following ‘achievements’:1 entry:for submitting a qualifying photo (identifiable as being taken at a Tron screening at some point over the weekend)1 entry:if the photo clearly contains at least one piece of TRON-themed clothing (eg, a costume)1 entry: if the photo includes at least one piece of FLYNN LIVES ARG-specific paraphernalia1 entry: if the photo shows a waiting line to buy tickets or enter the theater1 entry for each person: in the photo wearing TRON or FLYNN LIVES gear and posing for the photo (you included if you’re not taking the photo)!

Photos should be submitted to raffle@wikibruce.comSubmissions will be accepted throughMonday 6pm Eastern (3pm Pacific)Include your name and your contact email.Only one photo per person will be considered, so shoot and choose wisely!

Sample photo contents:

Here are some sample photo submissions, so you have an idea of the challenge and how you earn:

A photo taken in the theater holding your TRON: LEGACY ticket stub will get you 1 entry

A photo of you at the theater with someone dressed in a Tron costume will net you 4 entries

A photo taken by you at a midnight premiere screening showing a long waiting line, as well as a group of 10 friends (or random people) posing for the picture, including someone dressed in a Tron costume, a few people wearing Flynn Lives T-shirts and everyone else wearing a pin (clearly visible) from the ARG (whether their own or borrowed), will net you 14 entries!

Simply put, take as Tron-themed and creative a photo as you can when you see the movie this weekend! Did you already see the movie and feel like you missed out on the photo op for the draw? Simple:Go see the movie again! (and take a camera this time) ;)

TRON week returns! Day 4 is here, with more items and information about the final raffle that will last for the weekend to be drawn on Monday!

Having now seen the film at two screenings, I can very much re-iterate: This is a movie worth seeing.

Each day this week a number of items were listed on Wikibruce.com, along with a simple “skill testing question” to ensure at least some level of Tron knowledge or fandom. Now on to today’s raffle details (Day 5 and weekend raffle instructions follow below)

Day 4 Raffle Details:

Post your answer(s) to the items for which you’d like to be entered into the drawing in the comments below, along with your name and email.

You can enter as many times during the week as you like, and for as many items as you like, but only one entry per item!

If more than one of any item exists, more than one name will be drawn (eg, multiple t-shirts listed below means multiple names will be drawn).

Entries (comments to the relevant articles) will be accepted until Saturday at 11am Pacific/2pm Eastern. Names will be drawn, contacted, and announced shortly thereafter.

Make sure you include your email address with your answer!

Raffle entry is now closed!

For item 1: Flynn Lives pin

10 pins are available

Trivia Question:

Who is heard in the following audio clip, and to whom are they speaking:(listen) Raffle Audio 1

For item 2: ‘Home Of Tron’ Flynn’s Arcade token

5 pins are available

Trivia Question:

Who is heard in the following audio clip, and to whom are they referring:(listen) Raffle Audio 2

For item 3: Encom Guest Badge (San Francisco press event)

5 badges are available

Trivia Question:

Who is heard in the following audio clip, and what’s the significance of this scene:(listen) Raffle Audio 3

Raffle entry is now closed!

Day 5/Weekend photo challenge/raffle instructions

Well, Tron: Legacy premieres tonight first with midnight screenings. Are you planning to see Tron: Legacy at any time this opening weekend? Because that’s the only way you’ll be entered into these final item raffles! Get ready for the challenge!

Here’s what you need to do to have a chance to win one of the items up for raffle…

See TRON: LEGACY this weekend (up to and including Sunday night).

Earn entries into the raffle by submitting ONE photo (and not a collage) as evidence. The photo must contain something as visual proof of being at the theater for the this film (ticket stub, something Tron-branded, etc). you can submit as many photos are you like, but only one will be considered for entries.

You can earn entries into the raffle by qualifying for any of the following ‘achievements’:1 entry:for submitting a qualifying photo (identifiable as being taken at a Tron screening at some point this weekend)1 entry:if the photo clearly contains at least one piece of TRON-themed clothing (eg, a costume)1 entry: if the photo includes at least one piece of FLYNN LIVES ARG-specific paraphernalia1 entry: if the photo shows a waiting line to buy tickets or enter the theater1 entry for each person: in the photo wearing TRON or FLYNN LIVES gear posing for the photo (you included if you’re not taking the photo)!

Photos should be submitted to raffle@wikibruce.com through Monday 6pm Eastern (3pm Pacific). Include your name and your contact email. Remember, only one photo will be considered, so shoot and choose wisely!

Sample photo contents:

Here are some sample photo submissions, so you have an idea of the challenge and how you earn:

A photo taken in the theater holding your TRON: LEGACY ticket stub will get you 1 entry

A photo of you at the theater with someone dressed in a Tron costume will net you 4 entries

A photo taken by you at a midnight premiere screening showing a long waiting line, as well as a group of 10 friends (or random people) posing for the picture, including someone dressed in a Tron costume, a few people wearing Flynn Lives T-shirts and everyone else wearing a pin (clearly visible) from the ARG (whether their own or borrowed), will net you 14 entries!

Simply put, take as Tron-themed and creative a photo as you can when you see the movie this weekend!

TRON week continues, but Day 3 has been sabotaged! Something in the grid has caused a problem, blocking access to my home computer wherein all the details for the raffle are stored. Unfortunately, as I won’t be able to tend to the matter until later tonight (on returning from another Tron: Legacy screening this week, care of Norelco), this means that today’s raffle items list will be postponed until tomorrow.

Day 4 will be up at noon eastern Thursday and will also include today’s items, along with some more questions. Be prepared for Day 5 though! The best is being saved for last, and the ‘skill test’ will be a little more challenging…

Be rezzed to see Tron: Legacy this opening weekend – it is well worth the wait!

TRON week continues! Welcome to Day 2! One free screening has come and gone, and I was among those fortunate enough (an understatement) to experience ‘the grid’ at Toronto’s open screening thanks to the Flynn Lives.

This is a movie worth seeing, at least 9 times. It is the double rainbow of win! It’s over 9000!

As for the raffle – entries are coming in droves, if yesterday was any indication. I have to say it’s wonderful to see people passing on some items they already have to give others a chance in the draw. Also, many thanks to those who have donated some items to be given out to others in this raffle. It’s teamwork and generosity like this that makes an amazing ARG community!

Raffle Details:

Each day this week a number of items will be listed on Wikibruce.com, along with a simple “skill testing question” to ensure at least some level of Tron knowledge or fandom. Post your answer(s) to the items for which you’d like to be entered into the drawing in the comments below, along with your name and email.

You can enter as many times during the week as you like, and for as many items as you like, but only one entry per item!

If more than one of any item exists, more than one name will be drawn (eg, multiple t-shirts listed below means multiple names will be drawn).

Entries (comments to the relevant articles) will be accepted until Saturday at 11am Pacific/2pm Eastern. Names will be drawn, contacted, and announced shortly thereafter.

Make sure you include your email address with your answer!

Raffle entry is now closed!

For today’s skill-testing questions, use the clips from the image below to answer any of the following questions:

For item 1: SamTracker 89 Pin+Sticker

2 pins/stickers are available

Trivia Question:

In the image above:A) What business had its home in this building?

For item 2: Space Paranoids Pin

7 pins are available

Trivia Question:

In the image above:B) What vehicle is being driven in this scene?

For item 3: Flynn Lives T-Shirt

7 extra-large t-shirts are available, plus 1 largePlease indicate if you’d like to try for the Large (if you do and the large is drawn by someone else, you’ll remain in the draw for an XL unless you indicate otherwise)

Trivia Question:

In the image above:C) What’s the name of this character?

Are you rezzed? Here we go, start answering! And don’t forget to see Tron: Legacy this week :)

It’s here, Tron week! TRON: LEGACY will premiere on Friday Dec 17th in 3D and IMAX where available, starting with midnight screenings. Not only that, there are now two opportunities for fans and dedicated movie-goers to see Tron: Legacy in 3D for free at select limited theaters across North America.

First, as a reward for all who participated in the FLYNN LIVES promotional ARG, you can visit FlynnLives.com/Electrify to locate a nearby theater for free public entry Monday Dec 13th on a first come first served basis (it will be chaos!)

Secondly, for the lucky folk who managed to snag a ticket from Norelco’s ticket snatching marketing ploy at 3dshave.com and 3dshave.ca, another screening will take place on Wednesday Dec 15th.

The FLYNN LIVES campaign has effectively come to an end with the completion of the DigitalPulse puzzle trail – the actions that allowed a portal to be opened between the grid and the real world. It’s believed to be we, Kevin Flynn’s supporters, who created the means for Alan to receive the supposed page from Kevin Flynn. What a way to end the campaign and lead in to the film!

Now, to celebrate TRON week and the completion of the ARG, Wikibruce will be raffling off a selection of Flynn Lives and Tron paraphernalia.

Raffle Details:

Each day a number of items will be listed on Wikibruce.com, along with a simple “skill testing question” to ensure at least some level of Tron knowledge. Post your answer and name in the comments below, and you’ll be entered in the draw to win any of the items listed.

The prizes will get bigger and better as the week goes on :)

You can enter as many times during the week as you like, and for as many items as you like, but only one entry per item!

If more than one of any item exists, more than one name will be drawn (eg, two coasters as listed below means two names will be drawn).

Entries will be accepted until Saturday at 11am Pacific/2pm Eastern. Names will be drawn, contacted, and announced shortly thereafter.